Combination garment



Jan. 2, 1934. H. WIPPERMAN 1,941,505

COMBINAT ION GARMENT Filed Feb. 9, 1933 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY HILDEGARD WIPPERMAN Patented Jan. 2, 1934 1,941,505 I COMBINATION GARMENT Hildegard Wipperman, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to The H. W. Gossard Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application February 9, 1933. Serial No. 655,866

3 Claims.

This invention relates to combination garments for women and has for its object to provide an improved form-fitting garment adapted to mold the busts, flatten the diaphragm and support the abdomen and thus afford a proper foundation for outer garments.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a garment of this type having greater flexibility of adjustment than heretofore and to adapt a garment of given size to different individuals who may differ somewhat in bust, diaphragm or abdomen measurements.

The invention is particularly applicable to figure molding garments of the type comprising a corset and a brassire and having end sections or flaps secured to the sides of the corset or to the sides of the corset and brassiere and means for holding said flaps under tension at the back of the garment. The tension is usually provided by terminating the flaps in elastic straps which are fastened to the back of the corset. These straps exert a downward and transverse pull on their respective fiaps, thereby molding the busts, flattening the diaphragm and confining and uplifting the abdomen according to the manner in which the flaps are secured to the garment.

Garments of this type come in standard stock sizes but different individuals taking the same size garment frequently differ in bust, diaphragm or abdomen measurements. For example, one individual may have a large bust and not such a large abdomen, while another may have a large diaphragm and not a large abdomen and bust, and a third may have a large abdomen and not a large diaphragmand bust. The present invention increases the flexibility of adjustment of such garments and adapts a garment of given size to different individuals who differ in some of their measurements and who require different degrees of support and different flattening effects. It likewise permits the number of stock sizes to be reduced.

In carrying out my invention the flaps, which are secured to the corset or to the sides of the corset and brassiere, terminate in or contain a freely looped triangularly disposed strap. A fastening terminal is slidably carried on each strap so that when fastened, each terminal is at the apex of its triangular elastic loop and the tension upon the upper and lower portions or legs of each triangle will be normally equalized, but permit sliding movement to accommodate body movements of the wearer. This, for example, avoids undue strain on the upper leg of the triangle when the wearer bends to one side. Means are also provided intermediate the flaps and fastening points for the slidable terminals, for adjusting the tension upon each elastic strap-as determined by the figure and other requirements of the wearer. Preferably, the flaps are always fastened in the same place at a fixed distance from the center of the bustline and adjustments are made between such fixed fastening point and the center of the bustline. My fastener is also constructed to adjust the tension gradually and continuously, instead of in two or three fixed stages as in some fasteners, and thus enables each wearer easily and quickly to obtain the exact adjustment which is best suited to her individual measurements.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be evident from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1' is a rear view of a model wearing a combination garment and tensioning means embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the garment with part of the brassire spread out fiat.

The garment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 com- I prises a corset l of inelastic material having longitudinalside elastic sections 2 and 3, and garters 4. Thecorset opens at one side and is provided with hooks 5 and eyes 6 for fastening it about the wearer and has a front portion 7 adapted to extend above the diaphragm of the wearer intermediate the busts. A gusset 8 is inserted at .the upper back of the corset to give added adjustment. The corset may be boned if desired.

The brassiere comprises a front portion 9 of soft inelastic material adapted to cover the body across the busts and is secured to the upper front edge of the corset. End sections or flaps 10 and 11 are secured to the edges of front portion 9 and down the sides of the corset to a point adapted to lie below the diaphragm and at about the waistline of the wearer. These flaps extend rearwardly to overlap the sides and back of the garment. Each flap terminates in an elastic strap 12 looped in the form of a triangle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, one end of'each strap being secured to its adjacent flap as at 13 while the other end is looped through an elongated ring 14 carried by said flap and is secured to the central branch of a buckle 15 which is adapted to slide on said strap. Each looped strap 12 carries a sliding terminal 16 provided with a butto-nhole tab 1'7 adapted to be fastened to a button 18 on the back of the corset. Shoulder straps 19 and 20 are attached to the front portion 9 and to the respective flaps 10 and 11. It is preferable to use elastic material in the shoulder straps so that the garment, when worn with the garters 4 of elastic material attached to the stockings, will be kept in position while permitting freedom of movement to the wearer.

The buttons 18 are secured to the back of the corset at predetermined equal distances from the center of the bustline as shown in the drawing. Elastic straps 12 are crossed when fastened to buttons 18, as best shown in Fig. 1, and each strap diverges from its fastening terminal 16 so that the lower branch of each strap exerts a transverse pull on the lower part of its adjacent flap 10 or 11 and across the portion of the corset which covers the diaphragm while the upper branch of each'strap exerts a downward pull on the upper part of its adjacent flap and on the front portion 9 of the brassiere. As a result of this construction the diaphragm is held fiat and the brassiere above the busts is held snugly against the body without exerting uncomfortable pressure on the busts.

The tension of elastic straps 12 is adjusted by sliding buckles 15 in a direction tolengthen o *shorten said straps as required, it being possi le in this way to obtain any desired adjustment ranging from a small fraction of an inch up to several inches with a corresponding change in tension. Regardless of the adjustment, however, the flaps 10 and 11 are always fastened in the same place by buttons 18 which are fixed at a predetermined distance from the center of the bustline and all adjustments are made between these fixed fastening points and the center of the bustline. This insures uniform application of tension to figures which differ in certain measurments and, regardless of the o amount of tension required, fits the garment snugly to all parts of the body and gives the figure a smooth non-bulging line which affords a proper foundation for outer garments.

Recent developments in the industry, particularly in the use of so-called pre-shrunk mate rials, have made it desirable to control minor inequalities in the sizes of garments after laundering. Such inequalities depend upon the grade of materials used and the method of pro-shrinking, it having been found that some preshrunk materials have a tendency to stretch while others have a tendency to shrink. Unprocessed materials, of course, have a known tendency to shrink. Whether a garment stretches orshrinks at any time, my above compensating control is decided- 1y advantageous.

It will be evident that various changes may be made in the details of construction herein shown and described without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A combination garment comprising a corset, a brassiere having a front portion secured to the upper front edge of said corset, flaps secured to the sides of the corset from the upper edge thereof to about the waistline and extending rearwardly beyond the sides of the garment, freely looped elastic straps attached to the outer ends of said flaps, means slidably carried on said looped elastc straps for fastening said straps to the back of the corset, and means for varying the tension of said straps at points between their respective flaps and fastening means.

2. A combination garment comprising a corset, a brassiere having a front portion secured to the upper front edge of said corset, flaps secured tothe front edges of the brassiere and down the sides of the corset to about the waistline and extending rearwardly beyond the sides of the garment, freely looped elastic straps attached to the outer ends of said flaps, means slidably carried on said looped elastic straps for fastening said straps to the back of the corset at fixed points from the center of the bustline, and means for varying the tension of said straps between said fastening points and the center of the bustline.

3. A combination garment comprising a corset and a brassiere, said brassiere comprising a front portion adapted to cover the body across the busts and being attached across the top front of the corset, flaps secured to the front portion of the brassiere and to the sides of the corset,

said flaps overlapping the back and sides of the corset and terminating in elastic straps freely looped in the form of triangles, fastening terminals slidably carried by said looped straps, means for fastening said terminals to the back of the corset, each of said straps diverging from the looped portion thereof so that each looped strap is adapted to exert a pull along the lower edge of its adjacent flap and a downward pull along the upper edge of said flap, and means for adjusting the lengths of said looped straps to vary the tension on said flaps without changing the points at which said terminals are fastened to the back of the corset.

HILDEGARD WIPPERMAN. 

